The World’s Most Powerful Passports

Canada isn’t No. 1, but we’re among the Top 10.

By Katrina Caruso

Every year, the Passport Index measures how easily citizens of each countries can travel across the borders of other nations and ranks countries according to how many visas, worldwide, are required from their passport holders. Those with more “visa-free” scores are ranked higher on the list.

In 2017, Germany was initially granted the No. 1 spot for the second year in the row. However, this past October, Singapore jumped from second place to the top country in the world, after Paraguay removed Singapore’s visa requirements. Singapore became the first Asian country to reach No. 1 on the Index. In the past, the top 10 passports have been predominantly European.

Meanwhile, since President Donald Trump’s arrival in the Oval Office, the American passport has fallen in the rankings, with countries such as Turkey rescinding their prior visa-free arrangements for owners of American passports. Canada’s passport is currently tied with the United States, Malaysia, and Ireland in 6th place on the Index.

On the Passport Index’s website, you can compare the differences among passports and, in the event that you hold dual citizenship elsewhere, determine whether it would be worthwhile to apply for your second passport.